The official blog of the Campaign for the American Reader, an independent initiative to encourage more readers to read more books.

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Ten top diary books

Rebecca Westcott was born in Chester. She went to Exeter University to train as a teacher and has had a variety of teaching jobs that have taken her to some very interesting places, including a Category C male prison. She started writing a diary when she was 8 years old, although she had no idea that one day her entries would be used to help her write a novel. Westcott's debut novel, Dandelion Clocks, follows the diary of 11-year-old Liv from thirteen weeks before to six months after the death of her much-loved mother from cancer.

My kids, along with millions of others the world over, absolutely love these books. You only need to read the first few entries to understand why. In Gregg Heffley, we are given a character who lies, cheats and does whatever he deems necessary to get through his day. He suffers at the hands of his big brother, Rodrick and struggles to understand why his parents are so totally devoted to his little brother. The only person available for Gregg to assert any power over is his friend, Rowley – and even that goes wrong when he pushes Rowley too far over the worm-terrorising incident. I asked my son to explain why he thinks these books are international bestsellers. His answer – Gregg isn't particularly good at anything and that's what makes him so appealing to kids. He's an unlikely hero – a hero without heroic qualities. There's a bit of Gregg Heffley in everyone.